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Missing man - searches continue - Colin Morton from Whitley Bay

Police looking for missing man Colin Morton from Whitley Bay are today continuing their searches. House to house enquiries are taking place in the area in the hope people may have information which will help officers trace Mr Morton, who has not been seen since Christmas Eve. Officers are still appealing for a man seen walking into the sea on December 24 to get in touch. The man was spotted by a member of the public at between 10am and 10.30am walking into the sea near the area of the Rendezvous Cafe in Whitley Bay. He was wearing either boxer shorts or swimming shorts. 52-year-old Mr Morton was last seen by his partner when he left his home address just before 9am on December 24 to attend a doctor's appointment at a surgery in Whitley Bay. Mr Morton walked through Whitley Bay Metro station, using the footbridge heading in the direction of Whitley Bay and attended his appointment at the surgery. He left the surgery in Whitley Road around 9.13am before going to a bank in the town centre. He then called his partner at 9.50am, however, he has not made any contact since. Colin is described as being around 5ft 10 inches tall, with grey balding hair. He was wearing a grey hooded top, navy blue bottoms and a grey v-neck t-shirt. Superintendent Peter Farrell said: "As time goes on we're becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of Mr Morton. "It's possible he walked from the town centre towards the seafront and we want to hear from anyone who may have seen Mr Morton taking this route. "Searches have been taking place throughout Whitley Bay and surrounding areas since he went missing and these are continuing today." Anyone who has seen Mr Morton or who has any information about his whereabouts is asked to contact police on 101 ext 69191.

We are appealing for a man seen walking into the sea to get in touch as part of the search for missing man Colin Morton from Whitley Bay.

The man was spotted by a member of the public at between 10am and 10.30am on Christmas Eve, walking into the sea near the area of the Rendezvous Cafe in Whitley Bay. He was wearing either boxer shorts or swimming shorts.

Superintendent Peter Farrell said:

"We need to establish whether this was someone walking into the sea for a dip so we can eliminate this possible sighting from our enquiries. Therefore we are appealing for this swimmer to contact police immediately."

52-year-old Colin Morton was last seen by his partner when he left his home address just before 9am on Christmas Eve (Monday December 24) to attend a doctor's appointment at a surgery in Whitley Bay. Mr Morton walked through Whitley Bay Metro station, using the footbridge heading in the direction of Whitley Bay and attended his appointment at the surgery. He left the surgery in Whitley Road around 9.13am before going to a bank in the town centre. He then called his partner at 9.50am, however, he has not made any contact since.

Colin is described as being around 5ft 10 inches tall, with grey balding hair. He was wearing a grey hooded top, navy bottoms and black top.

Superintendent Farrell said:

"We are continuing to appeal to the public to help us find Mr Morton. We know that he has recently been suffering from depression and we're becoming increasingly concerned that his family have not heard from him since he called his partner on Christmas Eve. We believe that Mr Morton may have gone for a walk on the beach after phoning his partner, so we urgently need to establish whether the man seen walking into the sea is Mr Morton. If you are that man, or you know who he is, I would ask you to contact police on 101 immediately."

Anyone who has seen Mr Morton or who has any information about his whereabouts is asked to contact police on 101 ext 69191.